Going To Far to Prevent Childhood Obesity?

I received an email today asking for people to sign a petition to have the local soccer association ban all snacks at games and practices. The mother starting the petition wants the soccer association to ban snacks so that the kids “focus on the game and the team rather than food.” She claims that kids are “bombarded by snack and junk food at school, birthday parties and at the numerous other events that are now food-centric for no reason.” While I support taking action to help with the childhood obesity epidemic I have to say I think this goes too far. It’s not unhealthy for kids to snack. In fact, snacks can help with appetite control at meals and help kids perform better in school and on the field. What is unhealthy is snacking on processed foods and snacking in large quantities. I would probably sign a petition banning junk food at practices, but an outright ban on all food? I think that goes too far. I am of the mind that it is more useful to teach our kids how to make healthy choices rather than just banning things outright.

2 Responses to Going To Far to Prevent Childhood Obesity?

You know what? I would. The issue is that far too many parents bring junk as snacks, even when as a team we might specify healthy. Another issue is that many games might be near meal time…too often my daughter runs an hour at a game (at most–think of total real playing time for each kid), eats the junky snack, then comes home with no appetite for a healthy lunch. And final note–the sports drinks that so many offer up with the snacks. Nope, they don’t need that for the amount of time they play. I want my kids to have water, nothing else. So in a nutshell, I would love it if our soccer association banned snacks!

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About me:

Hi, I'm Andrea. I'm a wife, dog-mom, and new mother with a background in public health and personal training. I live in Washington, D.C., and I love everything running and fitness related. My blog is a collection of health news, training advice, and my own training experiences. Welcome to my blog!